Duck not laying and soft shells

[KittyKat8828]

I have a slight issue one of my ducks is not laying and possibly responsible for some soft shells I have seen around the yard. I don't know who it is but they are on layer feed and have oyster shell in a separate food bowl. All of my ducks are around 2-3 years old and there is one drake for 3 females. This whole season I have only gotten 2 eggs a day consistently. Is there anything I can do to help my ladies?

 

[HalfWayUpAMountain]

I've only had full soft shells as an outcome of shock / stress (4 hour transport to our house under a goose....). Do you have a sense of how each fits with the group ? It might not be the drake - girls can be mean too.

Weedy thin but hard shells were down to diet or immature layers and I don't think that applies here.

 

[Isaac 0]

Sorry to hear about your hen.

Sometimes the rouge hen requires more calcium than the others for a few reasons, but if she were mine, I think I'd get her some Calcium Gluconate (23%), you'll be able to find this at your local feed store, and give her 1ml using a 1ml syringe orally. This should help strengthen strengthen her eggshells but also help her oviduct muscles.

Regarding administering oral fluids, read this.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...dications-to-all-poultry-and-waterfowl.73335/

 

[KittyKat8828]

Late and sad update. Noir our Cayuga duck passed away from melanoma. She was the one not laying and since she was black we couldn’t tell that she had skin cancer.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I am sorry for your loss.